When Ministry Meets Medicine, Ordinary Days Turn Into Lifelines For People Who Need Hope

Sirens in the distance. A phone that never really goes silent. Two brothers—Jason, a senior pastor who also runs EMS calls, and Jeff, a nationally registered paramedic nearing 20 years—pull back the curtain on what it means to live “on call” and still choose hope. This debut sets the tone: honest, unpolished, and focused on the quiet work of showing up when people need it most.

We share the unlikely symmetry between ministry and emergency medicine: how presence can be as powerful as procedures, why a calm voice can change a room, and what it takes to stay kind after thousands of shifts. Jeff traces his path from teenage EMT to seasoned medic, shaped by 9/11 and a kidhood instinct to organize chaos. Jason recounts finding faith at fifteen and learning to carry light into hospital rooms, living rooms, and late-night scenes where answers are scarce. Not every call is dramatic; sometimes the win is a lift assist, a warm blanket, or five minutes of dignity.

There’s a cost to always being ready. We talk about sleep that never settles, “scanner brain” on vacation, the superstition of boots by the bunk, and how the Q word can jinx a quiet shift. Ministry mirrors that tension: the call that changes dinner plans, the bedside prayer that won’t wait, the wedding and the funeral that bookend a week. Through it all runs a practical toolkit—micro-resets between calls, boundaries that protect family time, prayer before rolling out, and a stubborn focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. That light, for us, is faith, but it’s also the shared knowledge that one more try might be the one that lands.

If you serve on the front lines—EMS, fire, nursing, law enforcement—or you care for souls in any setting, this conversation is for you. We’re building a space for real stories, mental health honesty, and the everyday craft of compassion. Listen, share it with someone who needs a lift, and tell us what keeps you grounded when life won’t slow down. Subscribe, leave a review, and join the conversation so we can keep this light bright for those who run toward the need.

Transcript

Meet Jason And Jeff

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello everyone. My name is Jason Klein, and this is my brother. Jeff. His name's Jeff Klein, in case you didn't know that. But that's his name.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

I thought they would have figured that out.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Yeah. So this is our first official podcast. We're really excited about this. We've actually been talking about this for a little while. We're going to reflect on really our experience. So just to give you an idea. So let me talk about myself real quick. So my name is Jason Klein.

Ministry And EMS Intersect

SPEAKER_00 0:28

I have been in ministry, pastoral ministry, probably since I was 17. Full-time since I was 22. So that's a long time to think about. 17 years now. I've worked at churches, I've held different ministries. I'm currently the senior pastor at Refocus Christian Church in Philology, West Virginia, and part-time. I'm an EMT, although it's not really a part-time thing ever. I know we say that, but it's not. And I've been an EMT for a couple years now. And so so much of this podcast, the idea behind this podcast is driven by my brother and I, and I'll let you, I'll let him introduce himself here in a minute, uh, realize that we have very similar life, uh lifestyles. Uh we have different callings, we have different career paths we've chosen, but there's a lot of intersect between them. And so that's kind of the idea here. Uh is we want to just kind of break down and look at where being a minister uh falls. And then, you know, like I said, I'll give my uh brother a chance to kind of tell you a little bit about himself. So, all right, Jeff, that's up to you.

SPEAKER_02 1:37

Up to me. All

Jeff’s Path Into EMS

SPEAKER_02 1:38

right. Hello, everyone. Uh, my name's Jeff uh Klein. Uh I've been in EMS since uh 17 years old. Uh kind of started right out of the gun, right out of high school. And um, you know, it's just something that's been a passion of mine uh since I've been a kid. Uh Jason can tell you that, you know, ambulance chasing and uh out the window and looking at the sirens and just all kinds of different things growing up as a kid and um you know different exposures we had. And then um, you know, I I turned 17, 18, graduated high school kind of real close to 2011, or excuse me, 2001. And it was real close to the 9-11 uh tragedies. Uh so we'll we'll get into that as we get further to this, but that's kind of kind of where my whole thing pushed me over into making the decision to go. But uh I was an EMT for five years, uh, and then I went on and got my uh paramedic uh in 2006. Uh and this year, actually, uh I will be celebrating 20 years uh as a nationally registered uh paramedic. And that's even funny to me to say because it doesn't feel uh like 20 years. Um that's a long time.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

That's a long time.

SPEAKER_02 2:55

Stop and think about it, you know, just where where's that all gone? You know, and somebody told me one time at the very beginning of this that the best thing that you can do for this is write a book or keep notes because before you know it, the time's gonna be gone and you're gonna be thinking back like what in the world has happened, you know, and I wish at that point in time I would have taken that advice because I definitely didn't. Um, but it I can see

Defining Moments And 9/11

SPEAKER_02 3:25

I can see the benefit of it today. So it would have been a good thing. Um on top of all of that, uh, I'm a little bit of a computer nerd. Uh I have an IT degree. Uh I like to tinker with things, take them apart, put them back together, see how they work. Uh, and then I recently graduated my bachelor's degree uh in healthcare administration.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

Uh not sure where I'm going with that uh as of yet, but every day is a new day, and and we just kind of figure things out as we go. So that's me.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

That's cool. Well, you guys don't know this, but Jeff and I do. Jeff and I are in a race in degrees uh or in a competition.

SPEAKER_02 4:03

Uh running out of room.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

I'm not saying I'm starting my doctorate in August, but I might be starting my doctorate in August. Uh no, listen, we we've always uh we've always fed off each other. Uh he's always pushed me to go further uh than I ever thought I could. And um it's actually why I got in on to the EMS side of things, right? So like I said, I I've been in ministry for a long time. Uh it wasn't until a couple years ago that I went and got my EMT license, and uh I'm nationally registered. And for those of you listening, you understand how important that is and how difficult that can be. Uh so to be a paramedic, nationally registered paramedic for 20 years, almost 20 years, is pretty crazy. So again, we we we started looking at our lives and we realized there there's so much intersection between the things that we do, um, the experiences we have and uh and really the different callings we have on our life. And and so I guess you know let's let's start out with that. Like what led to, I know you kind of talked about a little bit, Jeff, but but what really was there a defining moment that led to your decision to to go into EMS?

SPEAKER_02 5:14

Um truth be told, I I don't think I can I can pinpoint one defining moment. Um I I think I can I can take a conglomeration of defining moments um and kind of like lump them in together like as to why I made that decision. You know what I mean? Like I always had the feeling that um I always wanted to help people. Like I was always doing something that um you know was was always just I always used was there when somebody was in need, and and I'll share a little bit of a funny story with you. Um so we live uh in uh Ohio, and right up the street from our house, uh there was an elementary school. And uh Jason, and I know you remember this, but do you remember the great at the elementary school on the parking lot?

SPEAKER_00 6:07

Oh yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:08

Okay, okay. So we had to have been probably six, maybe seven. Uh I might have a little bit older. Nine, so you might have been seven, Joshua, five, six, something like that. Anyway, um, but I'll never forget it because it was just a moment of of I don't want to call it clarity, but a moment for me when Joshua wrecked his bike on that grate.

Presence Over Fixing

SPEAKER_02 6:35

And um it turns out he wasn't hurt, which is a good thing, right? But I was just kind of in that moment where I'm like sending people to go find sticks like that I can use for like a split. And like I told somebody, I said, get on my bike and ride down to my house and get my mom. And like, I think I had somebody take their shoes off because I wanted their socks to use it as like a uh like a splint to like tie these sticks, right?

SPEAKER_00 7:05

Thanks, thanks, backdraft.

SPEAKER_02 7:06

Yeah, we appreciate that, you know. And like, I mean, it it in all reality, like it was all completely unnecessary, but like it was just funny because it was just a moment that like I liked it. Like it's not not obviously not the tragedy part of it, you know what I mean. But what I've come to realize is that throughout this entire process, even even from day one and until I see it now, right? That that one moment is when the tragedy happens and they have nowhere else to go, and you're there. And it doesn't always necessarily mean that like you're gonna fix it, you know what I mean? But your presence and your knowledge and your demeanor, your calm demeanor gives them the notion that it's going to be okay. Yeah, and I think I experienced I'm I'm sure I experienced that the very first time when Josh wrecked his bike. And and you know, because he was he was upset, he was I mean, naturally, like he you know, he thought he broke his leg, like it's just one of those things. And it just kind of it just kind of built from there, you know? Yeah, um you know, so then in transitioning to to older and 16 and 17, when I decided that I was, you know, go and join the fire department and go get my EMT license, like I said, it was it was real close to 9-11, you know what I mean? So again, it was it was another tragedy-induced moment, right? Um, and no, I wasn't able to be, you know, with those folks in New York and wasn't able to be part of that. But what I did know is that down the road, I would be able to be there and be able to help individuals that were in need. And it's more than just like people call 911, right? And you think that you're gonna call the ambulance because um you know they can't breathe or they're having chaffin', or or uh I don't know, they fall in, you know what I mean? And and there's a lot more to it than that, you know what I mean? Like we've we've you know, we've we've we've gone to people's houses just to get them up off the floor, we've gone to people's houses just to help them to the bathroom. I've gone to somebody's house before just to get them a cup of coffee, you know? So it's not always tragedy, and that that's that's the bright side of it, which is I enjoy that as well, you know what I mean? But there's just a lot of all of those moments together, just the fact that you can be there for someone, you can be that support system. Um that's what's what's driven me into it. And and I I have to be completely honest, I enjoy the fact too that I get to like, you know, turn the lights on and make the side.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

That's insane, man. That's that's what it is.

Faith, Calling, And Purpose

SPEAKER_00 9:53

We uh we we talked about this, but yeah, we did a call the other day or a couple months ago, and we were headed over and we were a little bit away, and we were coming from Cub Scouts with our boys. And you know, our minivan doesn't have lights and siren, obviously, because I'm not rushing this thing to a call, but the whole 10-minute drive over, I got my three kids in the back going wee, wee, like that's gonna like help move traffic or something, you know. So that there is there's something about that. But yeah, I think it's interesting because the idea of I think a lot of people respond to tragedy differently, you know. Yeah, and and I think certain people they see tragedy and and and their question is how can I help alleviate this? How can I change this? How how can I be of assistance here, right? And I think that that's a unique perspective, a unique calling, because not everyone sees it that way. Yeah, you know, some people see tragedy and they can't handle it and they don't want to be around it. Um I think about you know what something you said about EMS is it's it's not always tragic though. Sometimes it's just it's showing up, it's being there for people. And and I like to think that so much of that was instilled in us, you know, growing up and you know, speaking to how we were raised and uh the kind of experiences we had, and you know, just always, you know, I think about our mom a lot. You know, my mom was always there, you know, even our dad was was always the kind of person who's out there helping people, right? So we we kind of see this modeled for us, right? And so it kind of carries over. And so you know, going back to the the pastoral side of things, you know, I I was 15 years old when I accepted Christ. And prior to that, I was just some kid. I was a jock. I tried to figure some things out. I wasn't even a good jock, I don't think, but but you know, I was trying to figure out life, and but I gave my life to Jesus when I was 15. And and I remember so much of that that moment was, you know, I was at a really weird place when I was 15. I was depressed. I was trying to figure out my life. I didn't really like who I was, I didn't really like the people I was associated with. Like I knew that my family loved me, so it wasn't that. It was just I I didn't really feel like I had a purpose in life, you know. And and so it's kind of interesting that about the same time you're coming to the realization that, hey, I want to do EMS, you know, I find Jesus. So I find Jesus and I realize my purpose in life is now to tell as many people as I can about Jesus as possible. Like that that's become my response to tragedy is is how do I how do I bring light into a place that that's so dark? How do we walk? You know, so much of of ministry is is it's the highs and lows of um I think the same in EMS. You know, like I I've sat in hospital rooms with kids whose dad died, right? How do you uh what do you do with that, right? Um I've I've had the privilege of marrying several people. I've been at a couple different births and I've been able to celebrate. Like I I've seen people give their lives to Jesus. I've seen people pass away without making that decision. So like part of my life is walking through the highs and lows with people. And and so it's it's

Hope In Highs And Lows

SPEAKER_00 13:07

no surprise that there's a connection with EMS. I mean, even my very short time as an EMT, like you do some crazy things, some things that seem so just unnecessary. Yeah. But then you realize that sometimes you're the only person that these people have, right? And then you you have moments of of tragic moments where something goes right, right? And and you you give someone longer in this world than maybe they thought they had. And and I haven't experienced that as much, but but still there's there's this balance of wanting to help people, wanting to serve people. And so much of that I think is built into who Jesus is. And and and Jeff, a couple years ago, I had the privilege of baptizing you, you know, which I think is really cool. And you know, my brother gave his life to Jesus, and and that that's a whole nother thing, but but it's such a cool experience because like I feel like you've already you already had the desire to help people, right? You already had that that desire to serve people, but but now you've connected yourself to Jesus, and it's even just kind of exemplified that, right? It's taken that to like kind of the the next level uh of where this this conversation is going. And and so so much of where we are right now, I think so much of where this podcast comes from is is to try to give people hope. Yeah, that's the goal, right? I mean, that's why you do what you do, is because you want to show up and you want people to feel like, hey, there's hope. There's someone here who understands, there's someone who's who here, who's here to help me, there's someone who who it doesn't matter who I am, it doesn't matter what I've done. It doesn't, what matters is this person sees me and they're gonna care for me, right? And I think there's such a connection between that and ministry because that's the goal of Jesus, as he shows up in people's lives who are a mess, shows up in tragedy and says, Listen, this doesn't have to end this way, right? So what is your so thinking about as long as you've been doing this, what keeps you 20 years a long time. Yeah, very long time. So, and and listen, he my brother probably won't say himself, but I will. 20 years in, and you're still the nicest medic that I think I've ever met in my life.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

And and everyone, there are people whatever.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

There are people that are gonna listen to this podcast, and you know some people that have been in this for 10 years that are just mean, man. And and and listen, I I'm not, I am not making I don't want to make too light of that because I do, and we're gonna talk about this later in this podcast. There's some mental health stuff that's really involved in this, and there's there's such a need to take care of yourself, and and one of our goals with this podcast is to hopefully connect and people with some resources and try to help them guide you know through that situation. But there are people that are just they've been in this for a long time and they're just they're bitter, they're angry. And again, I I don't say this to brag, but 20 years. What do you think is different?

Staying Kind After 20 Years

SPEAKER_00 16:22

Like, why do you think that you've been able to maintain this for 20 years and you're still positive, you're still hopeful, you're still pushing people, and and you know, you're encouraging people that there's a better, you know, that we're here to help.

SPEAKER_02 16:37

Um, I truth be told, I think what it comes down to is that no matter the amount of tragedy, no matter the amount of how many times you you have repeat patients, right? The reality of it is there's always light at the end of the talk. Um you know, and and some of the educators that I've had in the past, like they give you tips and and they give you positive information, right? And they tell you um, make sure that you you treat individuals how you want to be treated, right? You you treat individuals like how your family member would want to be treated um if someone else is taking care of them, right? And and I can I can respect that 100%, right? But my reality is that I need something more physical versus philosophical. And I know that's gonna sound kind of like a little bit cliche, um, you know, based on what I just said, but that that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, in my mind, I know that even after a hundred times something goes wrong, there is always gonna be that one thing to go, right? That's what keeps me going. Because um that that it it's I think it's what gives me that solidarity and that that concrete foundation of of what to hold on to um that keeps pushing me, pushing me forward. There's just that constant drive there, and and you know that that's how I look at it. Like there's a lot of people and it depends on, you know, personalities and stuff are different. And you have people that are kind of half, you know, glass half kind of full, glass half kind of empty, uh, you have pessimists, you have optimists, like um I am generally just a happy, outgoing, positive, optimistic individual. And I think that combined

The Light At The Tunnel’s End

SPEAKER_02 19:00

with that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, and just shedding myself to strive and try to reach that goal. And even if you don't necessarily reach that goal with that individual, right? But you know that last hundred times you've done everything that you can do, and there's nothing more you could have done, and you realizing that the situation wouldn't have been any different. Um that that that itself is what keeps me going. Like that, that concrete foundation and that, like I said, that proverbial light. Something for you to focus on, and allows me kind of like a it's almost like a like a mental reset. You know what I mean? Like it gives me a place to put the tragedy away. It's there. But that light allows me to move forward, and that's just what I stay focused on.

SPEAKER_00 19:57

I think that that like again. And you'll you guys will hear us say this a lot, but I think that's the the beauty of where we're going with this, because so much of my life, the latter half of my life has been focused on Christ and and the light that keeps me going, right? Because you know, and the world's chaos. It's it's nuts, you know. And I have three boys and your nephews, you know, raising him in this world scares me. Yeah. Because who knows, you know. Um but but there's hope. There's hope that it's that it's gonna be okay, that somehow this is gonna work out, that uh that you know the church as a whole will prevail, that that that God will redeem, right? That that's that's the hope that that I think keeps us all going. And and so to kind of hear about that in the EMS side, it's it's interesting because it it's it's something to hold on to, right? You know, and again, I I haven't been this in this nearly as long as you, but but it's already weighty because you know you don't know what's gonna happen. You don't know the outcomes of situations, you don't know, you know, you you you you run it over in your mind, what did I do right, what did I do wrong, right? And and there's so much of that, I don't know. I'm probably nuts for going into full-time ministry and going into EMS at the same time.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

I would think you're nuts. I think it was a good choice.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

Yeah, no, no, I I agree, but but I mean both are stressful, right? Both have similar focuses.

SPEAKER_02 21:30

You definitely have more gray hair now.

SPEAKER_00 21:31

So yeah, no, that's that's not uh that's not a wrong thought there. Yeah. But but I think so much of that is because you again you're trying to help people, and some people can help themselves, some people can't help themselves. Yep. Uh some people don't want to help themselves, right? That I think that's the tragedy of it is is you and I go into situations and say, hey, listen, we're just trying to do the best we can to give you a chance to do this again, right? Uh you know, and and I realize that EMS is a little different because sometimes it's

Always On Call Challenges

SPEAKER_00 22:00

tragedy, it's not your fault. But but if you've been in this long, if you've been in this long enough, you know that sometimes it is. Sometimes it's decisions that people have made that have led to where they are. And so I think the church focus is the same. That you're just trying to walk into a situation and say, hey, listen, I've I've got hope. I've got something that I think you need, whether that's wisdom and knowledge of this situation and how to help you, um, whether that's you know a relationship with Jesus, which you know has some eternal side effects, you know, not side effects, but but some things that happen, right? And and and so there's so much of that kind of overlap. So I I guess the the thought for me, I and the one thing that I continue to I guess that I that I wrestle with, and and as we have decided, you know, to talk about this, you know, we we want to be honest about our, you know, um I tell people all the time, everywhere I go, Jesus comes with me. Uh we were I was talking about this the other day. We were sitting at the station and someone was had said something about one of the calls, and you know, I pray on every call. And I pray every day for the men and women who go out as first responders, not only ones we work with, but the ones who who we don't, because I realize that you are about to have either the greatest or the worst day of your life, depending on uncertain circumstances, right? Yep. What so what are some of the challenges that come with um so the idea that the the name of this podcast is on call, and and it comes from the idea because both professions are your on call always. You never stop being a paramedic. No, you never stop being a pastor, right? These are things that are consistent, right? We you know, people always talk about having a day off, and you might have a day off, but but the reality is when something goes south, there's an expectation, right? What are some of the challenges that come with always being the person who's always ready to go? Um, always on call per se, you know?

SPEAKER_02 24:13

Um probably the biggest thing is you you you adapt to sleeping, right? With with I say one eye open and one ear on.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:29

Um and and you know, people with kids can kind of relate, you know, because like like when you have a new baby, right? You're always listening to the baby monitor. Is the baby moving? Is the baby crying? Is the baby uh breathing? Is the baby, you know, you're always listening for something different. And it's it's it's very similar. You always have the one eye open, the one you're on, and and you know, one foot in a boot. Like you're you're yeah, you're you're you're wrapped up in your blankets in bed, right? 30 seconds after you've laid down, your head alarm goes off.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:12

Or the alerter on your phone goes off. Um, you know, or or your your pager on your pocket goes off, right? Um or in some cases the phone rings. And and then it's just um you're always waiting for that, you know. And you learn to get used to that and you learn to to function with it, but not only does it stick with you all the time, you can't turn it off. So uh like so when say you go on vacation, right? Sometimes it makes it difficult to enjoy the little things in life. Because like, you know, say you're when I was in North Carolina last

Rest, Readiness, And Rituals

SPEAKER_02 26:00

year, right? How is it the beach? Like it should be the sun, the sand, like the waves, the whole nine yards. But the reality of it is you're sitting there with all these people around, hundreds of people, noise galore. And the only thing I can hear is the fire truck sound going down the road. And I catch myself looking for it, you know, where is it coming from? I wonder what they're doing, like so you you definitely like don't you don't get a break from it. And and and you know, some people have the ability to to kind of like set it aside for themselves. Like I don't know, when you turn the when you turn the phone off or turn the pager off, you just kind of like turn it off, right? A lot of us can't do that. You know, and and and I wonder too, like, yeah, you're you're physically turning it off, right? But are you really like is it still in your mind? Is it still, you know, when the when that first siren goes off or when that alarm goes off, you know? Um are you gonna be interested? Are you gonna pay attention? You know, are you not gonna stop taking that bite of food or stop talking in that middle of a conversation um with mom, dad, wife, husband, you know what I mean? Are you not gonna be at at a child child's basketball game or softball or wrestling and the alarm goes off? You know, so are you gonna stay on and continue to be the dad? Are you gonna stay and continue to be unclear, you know? Or are you gonna lose focus and you're gonna shift over here? And nine times out of ten, you're gonna shift over here, you know, and and it happens to me often. Um, and a lot of times I don't even realize it. Um people will be talking to me, like we'll be in mid-conversation, and I kind of fade off. But I fade it off because there's a siren coming down the road. And it's not I I know we make jokes earlier about you know playing with the with the lights and sirens, right? But the reality of it is it's something that you hear all the time. Yeah. So it's it's like that automatically it it indicates, you know, that to most, I think, that something is wrong. You know what I mean? Something somewhere has happened enough that somebody has had to call 911.

SPEAKER_00 28:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:39

And you you just like I said, the biggest I don't want to call it a downside, because it's not a downside. Just the one of the biggest difficulties of it is you can't, like I said, you can't turn it off. And then, you know, and I say when they, you know, they recommend um what, eight hours of sleep a night, right? I think is the is the thing now, six to eight. Um I've adapted to for the last 20 years, like not even kidding. I sleep like an hour and a half a night, maybe two hours. But I can get up and function because that's just what I've gotten used to. That's just one of the things that comes with the territory, it comes as as a part of the job. It's not always the the the positive thing, you know what I mean? Um but it's it's definitely uh a difficulty of of the career choice. And and you know, going back to with you being in ministry, I kind of feel like it's the same thing. Like, you know, is is are you gonna get the call that somebody's spouse is in the hospital and not gonna make it, you know? Um are you gonna get the call that uh you know something else is is not gone well and and you know uh you need it, you know what I mean? So I I feel like it carries I feel like it carries the same weight. Yeah, you know what I mean? And it's uh and again

Finding Healthy Outlets

SPEAKER_02 30:10

you you try not to look at the the tragedy side of it because there's always a positive outside to it or you know, resulting to it. You just have to you have to find that. And and I think that goes back to what I was talking about earlier, like the like the light at the end of the tunnel, right? You have to find that. Like yes, you lose the sleep. Yes, you're sleeping with one eye open, one ear on, right? Yes, you're leaving things that are interrupted, yes, you're losing focus, yes, you may not answer somebody's question, or they may have to repeat it because you've squirreled over here and you're you know, you're watching the fire truck. But in the end of all of that, no matter what, it comes back to that positivity at that light at the end of the tunnel. It's there. You just have to remember that it's there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:04

It's funny. I I was sitting here thinking, you know, if you if you do write that book, I'm gonna just put it out here now. I think a fitting title would be a life interrupted. Yeah. I mean, that's it, right? I mean, that you get used to your life being interrupted. And that's a choice. Yeah. You can't be mad about it. It's a decision. But but it is, it's hard because you know, sometimes your life has to get it put on hold because you particularly are in a position where if someone needs something, you you you have the knowledge to help, right? And I think you know, even the pastoral side, you know, the the bigger the church gets, the harder it gets sometimes because people have things. And a lot of times you're you're the only voice of reason. You're you're the people and that they go to when when tragedy hits, when when life is difficult. And and and that's part of it, right? And you know, you talk about putting stuff on hold with your family and things you want to do. And and I think that that that can it can be a lot, right? But that but that's the that's the importance, I think, of this conversation is it's trying to find that balance, but it's also shared experience, right? And I know that our hope going into this is whoever listens listens to this, they're gonna be able to say, yeah, I understand that. So it is hard, it is difficult. And and for those who you know, maybe you don't understand what happens on the side of someone who's been full-time first responder or someone who works full-time in a church, maybe it'll give you a better perspective on you know being a little more patient and understanding, right? Because um a life interrupted is is it that categorizes it. You know, you I always think about the good Samaritan a lot in this story and in our conversation. And Jesus tells this parable of the good Samaritan, and and basically he tells a story of a guy who is walking down the road. He's a Samaritan, and he finds this man on the side of the road who's a Jew who's been beaten and broken, and he's battered, he was robbed. And you know, prior to this Good Samaritan, a Jew walked by him, a priest walks by him, and these two just walk by him like nothing.

Shared Hope And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 33:10

They just they look at him, they probably say, Hey, I approve for you, and then they move on. But the Samaritan stops, he picks him up, throws him on his donkey, takes him to the inn, gets him taken care of, and he and says, Hey, listen, if there's more than he's done, let me know. And so, like, I've always seen those who do first responders who are first responders in that same way. When everyone else is driving by the accident scene, yeah, you're stopping because you want to know what can I do to help, right? And listen, this this is so much more than just paramedics. I mean, this is doctors, nurses, you know, you know, police officers, firefighters, like we all have this desire to just kind of stop and help people. But it is hard because you are constantly in a state of not, I don't want to say crisis chasing because that's not the right word, but you're in this constant reality of that there's crisis happening, right?

SPEAKER_02 34:01

It's a constant state of like readiness.

SPEAKER_00 34:03

Yeah. You're always like you know, one of the things we always say when we're on shift is you don't say it, right? We don't say the word quiet, yeah, but you think it the Q word. It is quiet. Yeah. Now what? Right. And so like that almost instills a set of fear in you because you're like, nothing's happened. Yeah. So something is coming, right? And sometimes it does, more often than not. I I always think it happens whenever I want to eat, and that seems to be the trigger. Like you go get food finally, you finally settle down and go get food. Yeah. And you're like, no, this happened. Right.

SPEAKER_02 34:38

Right. I think you and I talked last week or week before of like the, you know, my and uh I always forget the term. Um what do you call that when when when you do something and you're afraid to do it because you know something bad's gonna happen? I don't know. I forget what it was called. Like a jinx.

SPEAKER_00 34:59

Yeah, oh yeah, like a jinx. Yeah, yeah. Like my boots, you know what I mean? Like or when I washed the truck the other day three times. Three times. You're like, stop washing the truck. Every time you watch this thing, yeah. For years comes in, like, stop it.

SPEAKER_02 35:13

Like for years when I when I when I go to sleep at work, um I sleep with my boots on. Because my boots to me are my jinx.

SPEAKER_01 35:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:24

You know, I take my boot every time I take my boots off. It just seems to happen that that you know, the overhead goes off and another call comes in. And and it's just one of those things too, like, you know, you talk about the disadvantages, like, how is it comfortable? And how do you rest with shoes on? Not only with shoes on, but with steel-toed boots on that are anywhere from six to eight inches high, yeah. You know, running running up your calf. Like, but again, you just it comes with the job. Like, you just I know it sounds weird, but like you just you just you adapt in the company, you get used to it. Yeah, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 36:04

Yeah, and and so that's that's one of the things uh that that we want to we'll be addressing in the next couple episodes is is how do you rest? How do you find time uh in a job where you're you're always on the go, right? Always the the needs always there because there's always people that need medical help, and there's always people that need Jesus. Like these are two inevitable things, they they never change, right? Um so so how do you find rest? How do you find downtime, you know, quote unquote downtime uh to to make sure that when when the time comes, you are ready to go and and and you are at your best, right? Because that's always the goal. You want to always be at your best. So with that in mind, um any final words for our first podcast?

SPEAKER_02 36:53

No. Um I say no, but then I talk, yeah. Uh I'm excited. Whoa, yeah, yeah. And I'll say um a whole lot. Like I I want somebody to keep track of how many times I say um and let's figure it out because it's gonna happen. No, but seriously, um I I'm excited for this. Like I've been looking for, and I talk to you about it, you know what I mean? I've been looking for a long time for an out. And it's hard to find an out with this, right? Because there's so many rules and laws and and and things you can't talk about. And and you know, some people have the advantage. To some it's an advantage, and to some they say it's a disadvantage, and it and it's it's to each their own, right? But some people have the ability to, or the advantage, or the option, however you want to call it, to go home to talk to a spouse, right? That's familiar with this or works in the same field. So they understand how you process, you understand how they process, right? Um I don't have that option. So for a long time, I've just kind of had to harbor, you know, and and and store, and that gets hard to do. And and I think that's part of the reason why I had some other problems. We talked about mental health earlier, but again, we'll get into that later. But I think this is gonna give me the opportunity to let out 20 years of all of this. It's like I I I stop and I think about that for a minute and like it's it's funny how that just like like the hair is standing up on the back of my neck right now. And I don't and I don't know. Like you just you stop and you think about it. Like I've walked for so long.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

You just let it out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:00

And I I I finally get to do it.

SPEAKER_00 39:03

Yeah. That's good, man. And I think my my hope is is that that people who listen to this, um, a couple things. One, that you find a place where you find some safety and you realize that you're not alone, right? And and I know one of the things we talked about is we want to make sure that we share our personal information because we'd love to connect with people, we'd love to listen to your stories, we'd love to just to be a place to you know have those conversations with because it it I I never appreciated what you did until I got into it. You know, it it's a different perspective when you're when you're in. And I realize that my experience is limited, but but still you realize how challenging it is.

SPEAKER_02 39:44

But you've you've learned what it is to to not have a hot meal anymore.

SPEAKER_00 39:48

Oh yeah. Room temperature is the waiting show. I don't even like try anymore. Like microwaves are like my best friend. But no, but I think there's a there's a Some there's a beauty to that, right? And and then the other side, you know, and from the pastoral side, it it's the realization that I really do believe that Jesus is the answer. And I don't say that in like a cheesy way, but but but I think Jesus offers us hope, right? He's the one that as we walk into these situations and and we realize that that he is ultimately in charge. Right. And and and that's what that's what motivates us to keep us going forward because God put us here to make a difference, to make an impact. And and who knows what lives have been changed because of you. You know, who knows what lives have been changed because of me. But I know that this is this is what God's called us to.

SPEAKER_02 40:41

So I I definitely feel um, you know, you talked a little bit earlier about you know when I got baptized a couple years ago. Yeah. But I always felt like there was a piece missing, you know. Um, like that. The again talking about the lighting in the tunnel, it's always there, but I never felt like it was as bright as it could be. Right? And it's funny because like the day that I come up out of that baptismal, after you told me, don't let me drop you.

SPEAKER_00 41:17

Listen, if you guys would have been there, you would understand that baptismal was not that big and we are not small.

SPEAKER_02 41:22

At least the water was warm.

SPEAKER_00 41:24

Mama and grandma fed us well, let me just say that. You know, we're not little by any means.

SPEAKER_02 41:29

Um it was funny because it was like just one of those things that like that last little bit of luminescence that I had been looking for for so long to make that light as bright as it could be. I felt like I found it.

SPEAKER_00 41:46

Yeah. Yeah. That's cool. That's a good way to end this. Yep. So thank you guys for listening. Uh, make sure to stay and stay tuned for future podcasts. And again, we'd love to connect with you,

Closing And Invitation

SPEAKER_00 42:00

listen to your story, even just offer you a place to talk and and have these conversations. Uh yeah, really excited for what God is doing, uh, not in our not only separately in our lives, but but really in our our lives together, and uh praying that God uses this uh to do great things uh for his kingdom and and and great things for those in EMS, um that we can help be a resource and and a light in a in a in a job that is sometimes very dark. Um but our prayer is that that that we can be a little bit of a light in that. So thank you guys for joining us. We look forward when we uh get to talk to you again. All right. Later. Take care. Bye bye.